KYLEIGH IN HER VEST

I finally got a chance to take a picture of Kyleigh in her vest
this past weekend. She loves it, as I knew she would.

I am busy working on a CQ entry for the fair, which I have a month to complete, and really can't share that at this time.

KYLEIGH'S VEST FINISHED!

I have been working really hard to get Kyleigh's vest finished the past couple of weeks. I wanted her to get a chance to wear it before school ended, as her class is The Dolphins.













This is the back, I know it is busy, but just what this
6-year-old likes.









This is a little more detail of the left and right sides of the vest. I found some cute buttons at a bead shop, it is sort of hard to see but the jumping fish on the left side in the seaweed is one, and the "Nemo" fish on the other vest side is one.

A COUPLE OF PROJECTS

I have been sort of side-tracked the last month, with the death of an aunt, out of town visitors for 2 weeks, and some house projects.

I also finished quilting a project for my granddaughter Kyleigh's teacher. Her class is called the Dolphins. So I put together a quilt for her teacher. I am waiting for Kyleigh's illustration for the label, and then I will post that picture too.

I have been busy working on a couple of CQ projects. This is 1/2 of Kyleigh's vest. Part of it is hard to see. I know this cotton vest will be washed so I have been cautious on the threads and things I am doing, on this vest for an active 6-year old. I think I will do some beading, too, but have not gotten to that. Kyleigh picked out some charms she would like me to use, but have not added those yet either. Kyleigh as I do love whales, and so I added the whale tale on this side.











I am also in a Garden RR with 3 friends, Susan Nixon, Fran Regos and Moira McSpadden, and this is Susan's block. I added the hand-dyed flower lace, and the beaded feather stitch going up the right side.

Kyleigh's Vest

My 6-year-old granddaughter has long been fascinated by ocean life, whales and dolphins. I had planned to get this finished by Christmas, but life got in the way, plus she wanted me to make her teacher a dolphin quilt to hang in the classroom (still waiting to be quilted).

I don't know how much embellishing will be done on this, as it will be washed, but I do plan to do some. I know it is busy, but these are the fabrics she loves. I have some really neat fabric for the back and lining, which I will show when I finish it.

So this will be my next hand project.

More On Bev's Antique

Thought I would add a bit more on Bev's antique crazy as I had a few questions. The center was not painted but embroidered. The leaves were a beautiful satin stitch and the flowers were of a folded ribbon type, so they were 3-D.

BEV'S ANTIQUE CRAZY

In the fall of 2003 we had dinner with some of our former sailing club friends, Bev and Chuck, and Reggie. During the course of Bev and I, and Reggie, another quilter talking, Bev showed us an antique crazy quilt that had been in her family for quite some time. It was in pretty good shape, with exquisite stitching. Here it is laid out on our pool table and it was hard to get a good picture. The problem with it was, that the backing was taffeta and it was in tatters. Bev, knowing that I crazy quilted, asked who she could find to repair it.

I offered to put on a new backing after the first of the year, and took it home. Bev said there was no hurry. After the first of the year, we got involved in moving my sewing room, having the popcorn texture taken off the ceiling and repainted, and painting the halls and front room. So I really didn't get started on replacing the backing, and repairing isolated stitches on the front until later in 2004/2005. The trouble with part of the stitches was that the thread that was disintegrating seemed to be made out of wool. I finished in April of 2005, and Bev was thrilled with the results. She had wanted to be able to hang it, as I added a hanging sleeve on the back, but I advised her not doing so, as I thought the weight might start pulling at other stitches causing them to disintegrate.

She had written up a little history of the quilt as she knew it. What she found inside the quilt when the backing started disintegrating was that it was lined with newspaper, and there was a date on one of the pieces, I think from 1869 or 1870. I typed up her little history and added it in a label to new backing, along with a swatch of the original taffeta. I had this interesting history on my computer until probably about 6 months ago, and I can't find it now, or I would include it here.

What I recall is that she inherited the quilt from her mother's half-sister. They lived in Texas, and her aunt was a school teacher. She went on a tour in Europe and met a older gentleman who actually lived in the eastern U.S. They got back home, and he started writing Bev's aunt, and they ended up getting married. He did not that long after they were married, but the quilt was from one of his relatives, and Bev's aunt inherited it.

I started thinking about Bev, and this quilt in February, when Chuck sent us a delayed Christmas letter stating that Bev had passed away at the age of 81. I am still shocked, and saddened by losing this great lady, who was always so fun and interesting to be around. Bev and Chuck have 5 daughters, and I am sure eventually this quilt will go to one of their homes and it will be treasured still.



The following are some of the details on this exquisite quilt.

New Garden Round Robin

Several weeks ago joined a new round robin with my friends Susan, Moira and Fran, and pieced my block for this.

This will be called Fairies in my Garden and am will be framed as a picture for my daughter Kristen, who loves fairies.

Decided to have a blog devoted to crazy quilting, and hope to keep up with it, at least posting the progress on the round robin.

I also need to piece a promised CQ vest for Kyleigh with sea life.

It was funny but before Christmas Kyleigh and I were looking through the "fishie fabric" for her vest and she asked if I would make her teacher, Mrs. Stenkylft a dolphin quilt first. I got that pieced and it is ready to quilt. As soon as I get it quilted will post that too. Their first grade class is called "The Dolphins".
So across the top of the quilt I lettered Mrs Stenkylft's Dolphins.